Ceramatec Inc., to receive $2.3 million from DOE SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative announced today that Ceramatec Inc. will be receiving $2.3 million over the next three years to develop a modular heat engine power block for distributed CSP (Concentrated Solar Power). Ceramatec has partnered with Georgia Institute of Technology to develop an innovative sodium thermo-electro-chemical generator.
Our approach is to develop an efficient sodium ion expansion heat engines which converts heat directly into electricity, without moving parts, by the isothermal expansion of sodium ions through a solid-electrolyte. The key to innovation of our proposed work is the use of solid-electrolytes, which have high ion conductivities for the operation of the heat engine. Unlike other similar ion expansion converters, our concept will use multiple stages with inter-stage reheat, affording more efficient conversion of heat to electricity at lower temperatures.
What makes this technology so efficient is captured in a first law analysis of an isothermal ion expansion process where heat is directly converted to work. The ideal thermodynamic cycle efficiency is > 92% of Carnot over the operating temperatures (450K – 1300 K), and the multi-stage conversion can dramatically improve conversion. Team researchers hope that this power block can be deployed in all kinds of CSP systems. Our goal is to develop a modular heat engine power block with estimated conversion efficiency (ηte) of > 50%. By the end of the project, a heat-to-electric power efficient breadboard validation prototype convertor unit will be built and demonstrated.
The Department of Energy’s SunShot program provides the means of establishing a new partnership between Ceramatec and Georgia Tech, which is a key to successful commercialization of this technology. Ceramatec is a leader in the development and engineering of ion conducting ceramic devices. Georgia Tech brings the fundamental science and thermal-fluid-electrochemical engineering innovations necessary to realize the device, cycle performance, and thermal fluid heat transfer enhancements.
The modular multi-stage sodium ion expansion heat engine has the potential to be highly efficient and disruptive to CSP. Similar to PV cells, the proposed modular concept can be connected in parallel to realize larger powers. We emphasize modularity because this power block can be deployed for both (i) small scale dish solar (displacing dish Stirling) which is appropriate for the distributed residential scale and (ii) large scale heliostats and parabolic trough CSP for large centralized power blocks which is appropriate for industrial scale.
For the distributed CSP, this power block can be revolutionary as it offers a smaller scale alternative to dish Stirling and even higher efficiencies. The power delivered by Stirling engine scales volumetrically; higher powers require larger Stirling engines and thus larger dishes and higher BOS/foundation/tracking cost. Our technology scales with area and does not require being mounted on the receiver. Thus, smaller dishes with lower BOS/foundation/tracking costs can be realized. Our proposed technology can target a 1-2 kWe commercial product consisting of stacked modules to commensurate with residential consumer demand.
Once developed, the Sodium Ion Expansion Power Block for Distributed CSP technology will target the matrix proposed in the SunShot program. Residential power modules are a high growth market to make high value electricity from consolidated solar energy at electricity cost of < 6 cents/kWhr. Depending on region and cost competitiveness with Photovoltaics (PV’s) and is more efficient than centralized power generation.
“Ceramatec is very excited to have received this award from DOE SunShot Initiative,” states Anthony Nickens, Vice President of Ceramatec. “We look forward to us maturing and commercializing this technology.”
About Ceramatec
Ceramatec is an advanced research and development company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ceramatec devotes its research to help solve various energy related challenges and spearheads the commercialization of technologies with strategic partners. Ceramatec performs research for both the private sector and the U.S. government agencies.
About Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology is a leading public research university based in Atlanta Georgia. Today, Georgia Tech is organized into six colleges, contains about 31 departments/units, and has an emphasis on science and technology. Georgia Tech offers a broad range of resources across campus to address the many complex, long-term, and multifaceted challenges associated with energy. Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) coordinates and facilitates institute-wide energy-related research.
About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot
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